The task sounds small: get Mom's new tablet talking to her email, set up video calls with the grandkids, and stop the pop-up ads from taking over the screen. It is small, but it often lands on one sibling who gets the late-night texts. Before you decide between doing it yourself and hiring a technician, sort the job into pieces, because the right answer is often different for each piece.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

Split the job into three parts

Start with the device itself, which means updates, settings, and the basic apps. Then the accounts, which means email, the calling app, the photo library, and the password manager if there is one. Last is the teaching, which means how Mom will actually use the device on a normal day. A technician can often finish the first two in one visit. The third takes repetition, and that part usually belongs to family.

Check what you would be handing over

If someone else sets up the accounts, ask what they will need: Mom's passwords, a recovery phone number, or access to her email. Ask where the passwords will be stored afterward and who will keep them. Ask whether the technician will stay signed in or sign out when they finish. You want a clear answer to who can get into Mom's accounts after the visit, and you want that answer on paper.

Compare the options on the same list

Ask two or three local providers to quote the same written list: the device setup, the email and calling accounts, the scam and pop-up settings, and one follow-up call. Ask whether the visit is in the home or at a store, how long it usually takes, and whether they will show Mom how to do the three things she uses most. Ask what happens if something breaks a week later. Compare the answers, not the sales pitch.

Decide what you will do yourself

Set up the parts that only family can do, such as the photo sharing, the contact list, and the list of people Mom can call with one tap. Keep the notes in one shared place that every sibling can read. When someone asks for help, send them to that page first. That keeps the fix from turning back into a group text at two in the morning.

If you want more help choosing among options, the local help page lists places to start in the St. Louis area.